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Granite bike
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Twenty-year-old Sandesh has created Edifice, a single-seater bike using granite
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photo: Bijoy Ghosh
FUELLED BY IMAGINATION Sandesh on his unique bike photo: Bijoy Ghosh
Is granite composed of mica, feldspar and quartz? Yes. Is granite used in masonry? Yes. Is granite used for making bikes? Yes. No, that was not a mistake. I did say "yes".
A granite bike made by 20-year-old Sandesh, a student of Anna University, upstaged other artful creations at this year's Nuremberg Messe Fair held in May. Why did the young inventor settle for granite? Simple. Because his father is K. Subba Reddy, proprietor, Pallava Granite Industries.
Months ahead of the fair, Subba Reddy, who exports granite, asked his son to come up with ideas for the Pallava stall. A few days later, an excited Sandesh produced a sheet of paper, which contained the design of a bike, with certain parts marked `granite'. With assistance from Balaji of Associate Auto Works (AAW), Sandesh gave life to the design. He called the single-seater bike `Edifice'. A 350 cc engine pulls the bike with a granite petrol tank. The front and rear fenders shine with crystalline, igneous splendour. The rear fender and the seat-housing unit are actually made up of one full piece of granite.
Granite encasing is not the bike's only claim to uniqueness; it's different in that it has challenged a few structural concepts (such as rear suspension).
A couple of "interesting enquiries" convinced Sandesh that the bike could be a money-spinner. He launched a company called Ex-concepts (Ex for Extreme), which would make customised granite bikes. Interestingly, most of the partners in this fledgling company are students.
Sandesh targets the American market. "Because Americans are open to new ideas. No two granite bikes we make will be the same. Each will give the owner the pride of owning a one-of-its-kind bike," says the young entrepreneur.
PRINCE FREDERICK
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